Photographic still cameras and methods have been proposed for recording audio information on film associated with exposed image frames on the film. Such an arrangement is disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,965,627 and the applications cross-referenced therein. In the arrangement described in this patent, audio signals are magnetically recorded in dedicated tracks in a virtually transparent magnetic layer disposed on the photographic film. The audio tracks are confined to the region of individual image frames with which they are associated and thus are restricted in the amount of audio that can be recorded. Another example is found in commonly assigned copending U.S. application Ser. No. 08/110659, filed Aug. 19, 1993, entitled "Camera Utilizing Variable Audio Film Frame for Optical Encoding of Audio Information". This arrangement utilizes optical recording of audio in the image frame region of the film and has the advantage that variable lengths of audio segments can be recorded which may run through the interframe locations (interframe locations) between image frames and thereby span more than one image frame depending on the audio recording time selected by the user.
It is known practice of photofinishing labs to cut processed film into strips of predetermined length, such as 4, 5 or 6 image frame lengths, for convenient handling and storage in print envelopes. With variable recording length spanning the interframe locations, it is possible for the film to be cut in the middle of an audio recording segment. Playback of audio recording segments interrupted in this manner is not possible. There is therefore a need for audio recording on photographic film that allows for variable extended recording lengths that can go beyond the bounds of customary image frames on the film and that obviates the problem of interrupting the recording in a manner that makes playback impossible. The present invention satisfies this need.